Supreme Court issues notice on e-KYC requirement for children's social media accounts
The Supreme Court has issued a notice on a petition seeking to invalidate contracts for opening social media accounts for children under 18 years of age. The plea also demands that parental or legal guardian consent and e-KYC verification be made mandatory before creating social media accounts.
During a hearing on September 10, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, after hearing senior advocate H.S. Phulka, sought a response from the central government. The petitioner, the Just Rights for Children Alliance (JRCA), cited the Majority Act 1875, Indian Contract Act 1872, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, all of which set 18 as the age of majority or require parental consent for minors.
The petition highlights that global platforms like Meta, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat permit independent account creation from age 13 under US law, creating child safety risks including online grooming, trafficking, cyberbullying and sexual exploitation without age verification and parental oversight.
